Getting Ready to Start on the House Again

No, really. I mean, this time we are really going to get to work on the house and I'm expecting us to make some real progress. The biggest question is, how long will the money hold out?

Leo got in touch with the brother of a close friend who was in a good spot to take over on some construction work. He and his helper came by to meet us yesterday. We were impressed. The guy was not a braggart, but talked to us in a very matter-of-fact way. He asked the right questions, took my comments in stride (um...unlike Leo, I can sometimes be hard on contractors) and let us know that he is ready and willing to start tackling both the unfinished items AND those that have to be reworked a bit. So...he starts on Monday.

With only one of Leo's paychecks to work with, we are not exactly flush with cash. When we found out that the wood flooring we were set on has been discontinued, we had to go back to the drawing board and start again. It turns out we both really like an exotic wood that is not a subtle as our original choice. But best of all, when we priced it, it turns out to be 40% lower in price than the first one. Perhaps we can make our money stretch a bit after all!

So, we're headed to Houston this afternoon, hope to make our nephew's football game this evening, make some more selections (tile, hardware, etc.) tomorrow, and be home by Saturday morning. I'm trying not to get excited about having something OTHER than the concrete we've lived on for 10 years under foot, but it's difficult. I mean, come on...it could happen. We just might get started on the house and keep working on it until it is complete. And when we get there, you are ALL invited to the housewarming party of the year! My estimated completion date? Um...December 2009. Yup. That's my best guess!